Wimbledon TV coverage in the 1970s and 1980s

[Hard Court]

Just wanted to hear what other people's experiences were. there are a few factors which might make it vary from mine.

I am from the United States. The first time I saw anything about Wimbledon was in 1977. We did not have HBO which broadcast a lot the early and mid-rounds. We had NBC. Which sucked. This meant no live coverage until the 1979 men's final. There was no way that they were not going to have Game Shows and Soap Operas in the mornings and afternoons. There was limited tape delay matches on the middle weekend. At a certain point in the 1980s, there 15 minutes of highlights after your local evening news and Johnny Carson. (10:30-10:45 CDT). Sometimes in the 1980s, you see live coverage of the semifinals.

Perhaps what was most frustrating was the Saturday Coverage. There would be live matches going on, and what would they show? Taped matches from earlier in the day! Then on Sunday? Often the same taped matches that they showed the day before!
This was actually the norm throughout the 1990s.
Meanwhile, at least by the mid-1980s you could see the French open early-mid rounds on ESPN. The USA Network would show matches in the morning and the afternoon of the U.S. Open. CBS would take over the 3rd and 4th round matches on Saturday, Sunday, and Labor Day. They would show the action live. UAS would then cover Tuesday through Wednesday and CBS would take over on Friday, Saturday and Sunday for the semifinals and finals.

Obviously, the US Open was the best to watch, followed by the French and then Wimbledon. Wimbledon coverage had the Breakfast at Wimbledon Tag and not much else.

Was wondering if other people had different experiences.
Did you have HBO?
Are you from another country and how was the coverage?
Was tennis in the early 1970s covered better or worse?

 

[recreationalplayer]

Wimbledon had NBC with Bud Collins and Dick Enberg, Bud Collins’ encyclopedic knowledge, astute observation and sharp commentary carried Enberg who could put you to sleep.
US Open coverage with Tony Trabert and Pat Summerall was never better and hasn't been topped, sometimes they would have John Newcomb or someone else. But they knew when to be silent and let the play speak for itself.
Today it's like tennis announcers are paid by the word. Yap, yap, yap.

 

[Moose Malloy]

However limited coverage of tennis seemed in the US, I doubt any other country had more overall tennis coverage in 70s/80s. Remember, the tennis boom started here and ratings of USO finals in early 80s had higher ratings than the NBA finals. But yeah it kinda sucked if you didn't have HBO during Wimbledon back then.

When I went to Wimbledon in the early 90s, I was pretty shocked that most fans there pretty much had no idea who Sampras was(since USO wasn't televised). However limited, we definitely had better Wimbledon coverage in 80s than the UK had of the USO/RG/AO.

Someone on here messaged me this a while back. Its kind of sad, but if Henman won the USO in the 90s, most Brits probably couldn't even watch it(and going by the culture I witnessed, most wouldn't care - Wimbledon was all that mattered)

In the early 1990s there was very little tennis shown on terrestrial TV in the UK, all of it on the BBC (plus from 1993 there was also a 25 minute weekly ATP highlights show on Channel 4). BBC were host broadcasters of Wimbledon and Queens plus they showed French Open finals, the finals of the national closed championships at Telford (a complete damp squib of an event) and the latter stages of The Grand Slam Cup plus the occasional GB Davis Cup match. This particular year, 1992, they also showed the final weekend of the US Open, but this was the only year in the 1990s that they did.

 

[BTURNER]

For Wimbledon . Yes I got to listen to Arthur Ashe and Billie Jean King et al and then I got to listen to NBC with Joanne Russell and Bud Collins. But I really wanted to hear was BBC with Dan Maskell, and Virginia Wade et al. Wasn't that lucky.

 

[sandy mayer]

The BBC coverage was outstanding in the UK. I watched plenty of 80s matches live and have seen BBC recordings of 70s matches. Dan Maskell had such a great voice and use of phrases. His love of tennis was infectious and his knowledge extensive, going back decades. Dan Maskell became a British institution. Not as famous but just as good was John Barrett. He is an English gentleman, with dignity, a great voice, high intelligence and again great knowledge of the game. Mark Cox was also a highly intelligent and knowledgeable analyst.
You won't get a better presenter than the legendary Harry Carpenter and Des Lynam who often were in the studio during the Wimbledon fortnight.
Gerald Williams, Anne Jones and Virginia Wade were all very good too.
Jack Kramer used to commentate with Dan Maskell for some of the 70s. I haven't heard much of him but what I have heard is excellent. He seemed to have a more outspoken style than the English gentlemen.
The BBC coverage in that period was absolutely first rate.

 

[Mustard]

John Barrett was the best tennis commentator of all, in my opinion.

 

[GuyForget]

bring back Sue, Tim + Boris

 

[Mustard]

bring back Sue, Tim + Boris

Tim Henman is still there.

 

[EvonneFedererBorgster]

I started really paying attention to tennis in early 1976, The Year of Chris vs Evonne + Jimmy vs Bjorn. It was the second and final glorious year of CBS showing a live Virginia Slims final each Saturday. It seemed like I saw Chris + Evonne at least every other weekend with some spattering of Virginia Wade, Navratilova + Rosie sprinkled in. I was so bummed that this was never continued after 1976.

Throughout the year all three networks seemed to show a big money exhibition every few months. I think ABC telecast the L’Eggs Cup where Chris beat Evonne. CBS was the Pepsi Challenge that Bjorn always won over Jimmy. When the L’Eggs disappeared the Clairol Crown seemed to take its place a few years later. And it seemed like there was at least one men’s big money exhibition match in Las Vegas every spring?

I don’t recall NBC televising the French Open until 1979. Perhaps they showed a taped delay of the mens final. 1981 was I believe the first women’s final being telecast and they chose a good year, but I would have preferred to see the semifinals - Evert vs. Mandlikova. From that point on the finals were always shown on tape delay. By 1983 there was a middle weekend telecast, but that might have been influenced by Martina’s shocker loss, which was shown on delay with everyone already knowing the outcome.

Wimbledon was always NBC since we didn’t have HBO. The coverage was ridiculous. The women’s final was played on a Friday but not shown on NBC until Saturday, so I already knew Chris had sadly beaten Evonne whilst watching the 1976 final. I don’t think they changed that practice until 1979. By 1980 it was absolutely telecast on Friday afternoon, which seemed like a miracle.

During the summer in 1976/77 PBS broadcast many ATP tournament finals and oddly I recall some being played on Monday nights? I could be wrong. The US Clay Courts were always on CBS so that was always a treat, especially in 1979/80.

The US Open was always CBS and they started a late night recap around 1977 and I would sneak out of bed to watch if Bjorn or Evonne had played, pre-VCR days. Unfortunately the didn’t begin showing the women’s semifinals until 1981, which always made me mad. I wanted to see Pam vs Martina in 1978, Tracy vs Martina in 1979 and ESPECIALLY Chris vs Tracy in 1980. But nope.
Luckily the 1981 Evert/Navratilova semifinal was late afternoon and it didn’t disappoint and was telecast live.

Throughout the year there would be various tournaments and even World Team Tennis matches shown on independent channels that primarily showed the Brady Bunch syndicated during the day and then old movies at night. I loved when they would randomly televise any tennis, like the 1978 Wyler’s Atlanta match where Chris beat Martina in the fall. The Avon championship finale was also on these various independent stations in 1979 + 1980, but never again after that until ABC started showing the finale in 1983.

My absolute favorite was ABC’s World Invitational Tennis Classic from Sea Pines South Plantation at Hilton Head with Chris Schenckle and Pancho Gonzalez. It was on every weekend for nearly 3 months. It was hilarious because Evonne would be either 8 months pregnant or just giving birth to her daughter Kelly, but there she was miraculously on tv playing Sue Barker! ABC seemed to film intros to each match that tried to trick you into believing the matches were live, when they had been taped the previous fall. Sadly this was discontinued after the 1978 broadcast.

It seemed like cable started to take over around 1984 when ESPN began showing the Australian Open final. USA Network seemed to start tennis around 1981, but my neighborhood didn’t get cable until 1982. I loved USA At The US Open starting in the late 80s. It was finally daily coverage.

 

[WCT]

I believe the BBC had pretty much round the clock coverage of center court and court 1 going back to the 70s. On BBC 1 and 2. No idea what French or Australian tv did for their slams. CBS didn't televise the French until 1980. 1980-82 and nothing live. Basically the final 2 days on tape delay. NBC got it in 1983 and always broadcast the men's final live. The women took a couple years.

NBC had the French and Italian for a couple years in the 70s. Maybe 75-77. They had the Italian as well. Neither live. It was on a syndicated network in 78 and PBS in 79. I don't recall anything live until NBC in 83. I remember CBS showing the Australian final in 75. IIRC, at the last minute because it was Connors Newcombe. Again, tape delay. I don't remember it being on any of the 3 networks after that.

My family got cable/HBO in late 1980 so 81 was my first year seeing it there. IIRC, it was 90 minute broadcasts in the evening except they did show the entire Borg/Connors match the night after it was played. NBC had a late night 15 minute highlight show going back to 77 or 78. It was only the second week, though. As others have said, the mens' and womens' finals were on tape delay and the women a day late. Nothing weekday except for the highlight show. They might have 90 minutes to 2 hours the first Saturday. They didn't play on Sunday until 1982.

CBS had their late night highlight show going to 1976 because I remember Trabert picking Connors the first night. Pretty much no weekday coverage, outside of the highlight show, except for Labor Day and that started in 1977. Extensive weekday coverage came with cable. That was HBO in 1982 and 1983. IIRC, that was 3 hours during the afternoon. USA started in 1984 with night matches, but within a couple of years they were doing day and night matches.

 

[PDJ]

However limited coverage of tennis seemed in the US, I doubt any other country had more overall tennis coverage in 70s/80s. Remember, the tennis boom started here and ratings of USO finals in early 80s had higher ratings than the NBA finals. But yeah it kinda sucked if you didn't have HBO during Wimbledon back then.

When I went to Wimbledon in the early 90s, I was pretty shocked that most fans there pretty much had no idea who Sampras was(since USO wasn't televised). However limited, we definitely had better Wimbledon coverage in 80s than the UK had of the USO/RG/AO.

Someone on here messaged me this a while back. Its kind of sad, but if Henman won the USO in the 90s, most Brits probably couldn't even watch it(and going by the culture I witnessed, most wouldn't care - Wimbledon was all that mattered)

The 1984 US Open Finals were televised by the BBC in the UK.

 

[jrepac]

I was so happy to get HBO in the early 80' so I could see much, much more of Wimby. Prior to that, it was whatever the networks showed on Sat and Sunday (SF and F)...'79 W was the first one I watched. There are things I miss, like the nightly USO Highlights show on CBS and USA's coverage of USO and other tennis. USA also covered the Masters, I think? It was a great tennis channel. And, so many more exos...there was almost always SOMETHING to watch on the weekends. Even in the 90's, we also got seniors tennis going on out there, so always some sort of event running. Now, we have 1000's pushing to 2 weeks (why??)...would rather have more events, even if smaller, invitationals and so forth.

 

[King_olaf_the_hairy]

I started watching (here in Britain) in 1978. As far as I'm concerned, the BBC's coverage has been the gold standard not only of tennis, but any sport. Others have maybe caught up, especially now that internet/streaming allows more blanket coverage than traditional telly ever did. But I can't think of anything — not football, the Olympics, or anything else — which actually bettered tennis on the Beeb.

In the 1970s & '80s you had BBC2's coverage, which started at about 12 noon(?) every day. Then BBC1 would broadcast from about 1.30 to 4pm, before deferring to the start of Children's TV. The announcers would tell you "coverage continues on BBC2", and you'd switch over until about 8pm. Then a highlights programme, "Today at Wimbledon", would be shown on BBC1 for an hour or so.

In addition to the other commentators/analysts mentioned, you had Gerry Williams, Mark Cox, Maria Bueno, and Christine Trueman (the latter two were before my time, I believe). I learned so much from this lot. Kitty McKane, Bunny Ryan, all the old faces in the Royal Box... John Barrett and Dan Maskell were peerless at name-dropping seamlessly during their commentary, without ever bashing you over the head with it.

Edit: LOL, I'm watching the Alcaraz / Fognini match via the BBC website, and I've just been told that "coverage will continue on BBC2". I need to switch streams.

 

[King_olaf_the_hairy]

Here's how the BBC website is just now, at least for UK viewers. Aside from the live streaming of the BBC1 and BBC2 broadcasts, the tennis section on iPlayer has three tabs.

"Day 1" has all the live action, while "Highlights" lets you watch completed matches:

Then there's the "Classic" tab, with all these videos available. It's an embarrassment of riches:

 

[Frankc]

I started watching (here in Britain) in 1978. As far as I'm concerned, the BBC's coverage has been the gold standard not only of tennis, but any sport. Others have maybe caught up, especially now that internet/streaming allows more blanket coverage than traditional telly ever did. But I can't think of anything — not football, the Olympics, or anything else — which actually bettered tennis on the Beeb.

In the 1970s & '80s you had BBC2's coverage, which started at about 12 noon(?) every day. Then BBC1 would broadcast from about 1.30 to 4pm, before deferring to the start of Children's TV. The announcers would tell you "coverage continues on BBC2", and you'd switch over until about 8pm. Then a highlights programme, "Today at Wimbledon", would be shown on BBC1 for an hour or so.

In addition to the other commentators/analysts mentioned, you had Gerry Williams, Mark Cox, Maria Bueno, and Christine Trueman (the latter two were before my time, I believe). I learned so much from this lot. Kitty McKane, Bunny Ryan, all the old faces in the Royal Box... John Barrett and Dan Maskell were peerless at name-dropping seamlessly during their commentary, without ever bashing you over the head with it.

Edit: LOL, I'm watching the Alcaraz / Fognini match via the BBC website, and I've just been told that "coverage will continue on BBC2". I need to switch streams.

The BBc livestream sounds great now.
But to be totally honest, I'd worship a replay BBC stream from the 70s-80s. Would be heaven like, truly, no doubt...

 

[WCT]

I was so happy to get HBO in the early 80' so I could see much, much more of Wimby. Prior to that, it was whatever the networks showed on Sat and Sunday (SF and F)...'79 W was the first one I watched. There are things I miss, like the nightly USO Highlights show on CBS and USA's coverage of USO and other tennis. USA also covered the Masters, I think? It was a great tennis channel. And, so many more exos...there was almost always SOMETHING to watch on the weekends. Even in the 90's, we also got seniors tennis going on out there, so always some sort of event running. Now, we have 1000's pushing to 2 weeks (why??)...would rather have more events, even if smaller, invitationals and so forth.

Yes, USA had the early rounds of the Masters. I believe starting with the January 1981 tournament. I remember watching several of the matches that year. They had night matches only, no day. Except for January 1983. CBS only showed the finals that year so USA showed the semis. Bright spot was we got to see both semis. I think they lost the tournament went it went to ESPN. I believe in 1986.

They sure did have a lot of tennis and other sports as well. Later in the 80s and into the 90s they started phasing sports out and becoming more entertainment. Obviously, they did keep the US Open for many more years.

 

[Hard Court]

I started watching (here in Britain) in 1978. As far as I'm concerned, the BBC's coverage has been the gold standard not only of tennis, but any sport. Others have maybe caught up, especially now that internet/streaming allows more blanket coverage than traditional telly ever did. But I can't think of anything — not football, the Olympics, or anything else — which actually bettered tennis on the Beeb.

In the 1970s & '80s you had BBC2's coverage, which started at about 12 noon(?) every day. Then BBC1 would broadcast from about 1.30 to 4pm, before deferring to the start of Children's TV. The announcers would tell you "coverage continues on BBC2", and you'd switch over until about 8pm. Then a highlights programme, "Today at Wimbledon", would be shown on BBC1 for an hour or so.

In addition to the other commentators/analysts mentioned, you had Gerry Williams, Mark Cox, Maria Bueno, and Christine Trueman (the latter two were before my time, I believe). I learned so much from this lot. Kitty McKane, Bunny Ryan, all the old faces in the Royal Box... John Barrett and Dan Maskell were peerless at name-dropping seamlessly during their commentary, without ever bashing you over the head with it.

Edit: LOL, I'm watching the Alcaraz / Fognini match via the BBC website, and I've just been told that "coverage will continue on BBC2". I need to switch streams.

It does sound like they have had great Wimbledon coverage throughout the years.
Was also wondering if you (or anyone else from Great Britain) remember how was the coverage of the French Open and the U.S. Open in the 1970s and 1980s? Was it just the finals? Tape delay or live?

 

[King_olaf_the_hairy]

Was also wondering if you (or anyone else from Great Britain) remember how was the coverage of the French Open and the U.S. Open in the 1970s and 1980s? Was it just the finals? Tape delay or live?

I don't think we had much coverage at all back then. I couldn't watch Lendl losing his first three US Finals (a mercy for an Ivan fan like me, I suppose). And while we had coverage of the French in the late 1980s — I remember seeing Chang in '89, Gomez in '90, and Agassi vs Courier in '91 — I have no recollection of any years before then, either live or as highlights.

We did have the Benson & Hedges event at Wembley on TV, and I also remember the risible British National Championships at Telford that @Moose Malloy mentioned. So you couldn't watch slam finals, but Andrew Castle and Jeremy Bates were there to provide you with your fix of elite tennis.